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Biodegradation of carbofuran by Pseudomonas aeruginosa S07: biosurfactant production, plant growth promotion, and metal tolerance

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Abstract

Pesticides are an indispensable part of modern farming as it aids in controlling pests and hence increase crop yield. But, unmanaged use of pesticides is a growing concern for safety and conservation of the environment. In the present study, a novel biosurfactant-producing bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa S07, was utilized to degrade carbofuran pesticide, and it was obtained at 150 mg/L concentration; 89.2% degradation was achieved on the 5th day of incubation in in vitro culture condition. GC-MS (gas chromatography and mass spectrometry) and LC-MS (liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry) analyses revealed the presence of several degradation intermediates such as hydroxycarbofurnan, ketocarbofuran, and hydroxybenzofuran, in the degradation process. The bacterium was found to exhibit tolerance towards several heavy metals: Cu, Co, Zn, Ni, and Cd, where maximum and least tolerance were obtained against Co and Ni, respectively. Additionally, the bacterium also possesses plant growth-promoting activity showing positive results in nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilising, ammonia production, and potassium solubilizing assays. Thus, from the study, it can be assumed that the bacterium can be useful in the production of bioformulation for remediation and rejuvenation of pesticide-contaminated sites in the coming days.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express heartfelt thanks to the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) for providing the ambient environment for the article writing and executing the necessary activities. RP expresses gratitude to IASST for providing fellowship as Institutional Post-Doctoral Fellow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, The Assam Royal Global University, Betkuchi, Guwahati, Assam, 781035, India

    Rupshikha Patowary

  2. Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Life Sciences Division, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati, Assam, 781 035, India

    Rupshikha Patowary, Prerna Jain & Arundhuti Devi

  3. Microbial Biotechnology and Protein Research Laboratory, Life Sciences Division, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati, Assam, 781 035, India

    Chandana Malakar

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  1. Rupshikha Patowary
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Contributions

RP has prepared the first draft of the manuscript and proposed the idea, PJ has performed the experiments, CM performed a few experiments, and AD has provided conceptual ideas.

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Correspondence to Arundhuti Devi.

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Highlights

1. Biosurfactant-producing bacteria mediated degradation of carbofuran pesticide.

2. 89.2% degradation was achieved on the 5th day of incubation.

3. The bacterium was identified to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa S07.

4. The bacteria possess metal tolerance and exhibit PGP activity.

5. Possible bioformulation from the bacterium for rejuvenation of polluted sites.

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Patowary, ., Jain, P., Malakar, C. et al. Biodegradation of carbofuran by Pseudomonas aeruginosa S07: biosurfactant production, plant growth promotion, and metal tolerance. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 115185–115198 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30466-z

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